Second US soldier to face court martial for Iraq detainee deaths News
Second US soldier to face court martial for Iraq detainee deaths

[JURIST] The US Army [official website] on Wednesday announced that Sgt. John Hatley will be court-martialed for his alleged role in the killings of four Iraqi citizens [NYT report] in April 2007. Hatley, along with soldiers Sgt. Michael Leahy, Jr. and Sgt. 1st Class John Mayo, was charged [JURIST report] in September with premeditated murder, conspiracy, and obstruction of justice. Hatley is also charged with conspiracy for a separate incident that occurred in January 2007, although the details surrounding that incident have yet to be released. The date for the court-martial hearing has not been announced.

This announcement is the latest in a series of court-martial hearings for those soldiers connected with the April 2007 incident. A court-martial for Leahy was announced [JURIST report] in November, but there has been no announcement concerning Mayo's court-martial. Spc. Belmor Ramos pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges [JURIST report] and Spc. Steven Ribordy pleaded guilty to accessory to murder charges [JURIST report]. Both men agreed to testify against Leahy, Mayo ,and Hatley. All of the soldiers were members of the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry [unit website], and the crime is believed to be a retributive act for casualties suffered by the unit.

THIS DAY @ LAW

38 Santee Sioux hanged by US for rebellion

On December 26, 1862, 38 Santee Sioux men were hanged in a mass execution for their roles in a rebellion against US authorities in Minnesota which left hundreds dead and made refugees of some 40,000 white settlers. Government annuities promised under a treaty with the Sioux had failed to arrive on schedule and credit for purchases was not advanced in the meantime, threatening the tribe with starvation. The Santee Sioux Tribe's members were deported first to South Dakota and ultimately to Nebraska, where they remain today. Learn more about the 1862 Minnesota Sioux Rebellion.

Louis XVI put on trial during French Revolution

On December 26, 1792, Romain de Sèze, a defense attorney for deposed King Louis XVI, presented a defense of his client. The former King was on trial before a French Revolutionary court on thirty-three charges, including treason and other crimes against the state. He was convicted on January 15, 1793 executed by guillotine on the following January 21.